Gary Dale Hotchkiss

1938 - 2022

HOTCHKISS, Gary Dale, 83, of Chesterfield, Virginia, passed away on January 28, 2022. He died peacefully after a brief illness and seven months of heartbreak that followed the passing of his beloved wife of 61 years, Carol Ann Hotchkiss. In his last moments, he was surrounded by his children, Alan, Scott and Kelly.

Gary, a Michigan native born February 28, 1938, had three jobs in his life: paperboy, a guy who makes root beer floats at the corner drug store and a computer specialist at Ethyl/Afton chemical company for 40 years.

He was proud to call himself a computer programmer, which was an understatement; he was a computer pioneer. Long before any colleges or universities had any clue about a degree field named "computer science," Gary created his own degree specialty, graduating from Wayne State University with a degree in mathematics in 1970.

He was both the Lewis and Clark of his time as far as programming goes. "I want to ride my horse down this road towards the west and when that road ends, I will continue westward. However, I would like to take this remarkably attractive Italian/Finnish girl with me as an interpreter in case I get into any dustups with the locals."

His work brought him from the Detroit suburbs to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and eventually to Richmond, Virginia, where he lived the last 45 years.

In retirement, he actively volunteered with Science Museum of Virginia, Fort Lee Playhouse and Ramsey Memorial United Methodist Church, where he was a fixture on their yearly mission trips. Along with his wife, Gary was an avid world traveler. He enjoyed tinkering in his shop, taping boxes for shipment, playing cards with friends and cribbage with his family and he never missed an opportunity to tell one of his embellished stories. A closet stand-up comedian, Gary had a deep repertoire of one-liners and assorted long form jokes.

Gary is survived by his children, Alan, Scott (Klara Glosova) and Kelly; along with four grandchildren, Hunter and Jack and Sidney and Blake; and his sister, Cathy Zwick.

A memorial service to celebrate Gary's life will be held at Ramsey Memorial United Methodist Church, 5900 Hull Street Road, Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, March 26, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Science Museum of Virginia.